Porcofobia, a historical hatred: the pig, an animal revered since ancient times

The Pig is an animal that has accompanied us since man changed his way of life , when the weather conditions allowed them to stop being nomadic to become sedentary and began a life system based on agriculture and livestock .Since then the pig has been the animal that has been most profited, its meat, its blood , its skin, hair, etc.This article has been titled Porcofobia, a historical hatred: The pig, an animal revered since ancient times , because in it we will take a tour of the different cultures, because It is so appreciated for some cultures and rejected by others.

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Porcofobia, a Historical Hatred | Pork in Prehistory

With the completion of the last glaciation, approximately in the year 8,000 BC, Earth's weather began to change , ice and the glaciers began to recede, leaving large tracts of land that were quickly colonized by thick tracts of grass.

With the disappearance of the ice , reindeer herds were forced to emigrate to northern areas, much colder.Reindeer were one of the main food sources of the first humans, following the migrations of these herds, they had managed to survive, but now it was different they had gone too far.

But just as the weather had taken away a very important part of their food, it also provided aria a new way of life, more comfortable and relaxed that would be essential for the development of the human species.

The settlements near the water supply, managed to develop a system of irrigation based on small channels

Through the method of observation , the first humans learned what a seed was and how it fell to the ground became a new plant.They observed what were the times in which the animals began their courtship before Females and queepocasestas bore their young.

Much information that they took advantage of to their advantage, knowing how nature provided them with food, now they could be the ones to decide where and when to plant their seeds . It's the beginning of to agriculture.

First Settlements

Along with agriculture, livestock are also beginning to develop. One of the first animals to be domesticated was the wild boar .The wild boars began to approach to human nuclei, sometimes in search of waste with which to feed and other times in search of protection , since most predators used to avoid contact with humans.

The wild boar was considered an important animal, we can see this representation in the cave of Altamira

Little by little, the wild boar became an important animal for the life of the first humans, pens were created to raise them, like other animals such as goats, rabbits, etc.But the pig or wild boar had a great advantage and it was that all parts of the pig could be used, its meat, its blood, its skin, its hair, bones, etc.

Porcofobia, a Historical Hatred | The Pig in Egypt

Because the first Neolithic settlements occurred in the mesopotamic area a, we can talk about the fact that the pig had already been domesticated in the pre-Dynastic era of Egypt. The Egyptian pig had more legs very thin, his elongated card and his back was covered with a kind of hard and pointed hair. The Egyptian pig was an intermediate species between wild boar and the current pig.

Relief where you can see the importance of the Egyptian Pig in the kitchen

Considered in Egypt as animal destined for meat, it is even mentioned how it was raised, however it does not appear practically represented in the chapels, nor does it seem to be evidence of being used in the funeral banquets.

It he knows that in Egypt it was a very appreciated animal since provided proteins so necessary for human development.It has recently been found in the stomach of a mummy, marks of cysticercosis , which It is a parasitic disease that develops in the pig.

Process of the biological cycle of the disease

The pig in ancient Egypt, was also used for purposes Therapeutic, they believed that both their teeth and their fat, guts and eyes had medicinal properties. They have also found small pig-shaped figures that could be used as amulets.

Horus (falcon head), Anubis (head of jackal) and Seth (ant pig's head) are examples of hybrids in Egyptian pantheon

In the Egyptian world, the mythologically pig could have a positive meaning , associated with NUT goddess of heaven, creator of the universe and the stars, but on the other hand it was also associated with a negative meaning to S et, Egyptian desert god, a desert that engulfs everything that stands in its way.Set to steal the moon, the left eye of the god Horus, had to become a black pig, why pig caregivers could not enter the temple.

Porcofobia, a Historical Hatred | The Pig in Greece

In Classical Greece , the stories of Homer in his work the Iliad, they were already telling great celebrations with pork meat punctured in long irons and put on the fire.The Greeks were convinced that the people who took care of the pigs had magical powers , so that very often one went to the crap to get some kind of power from the gods.

Sacrifice of the Pig as Homer tells in honor of the heroes

In his works Homer tells us that in the city of Troy, there was a tradition consisting of the immolation of a pig, a ram and a bull, in honor of the god of the sea Poseidon in order to get soothe your anger.This custom or tr addition will later be adopted, also by the Romans.

We also have proof of the parties that took place in Sparta, at these parties citizens received a broth with pork accompanied by wine and bread.

Sacrifice of the Pig in Troy in honor of Poseidon

For the Cretans , the pig also had a religious connotation, he was considered a divine animal, since according to mythology a pig had fed Zeus.

In Troy It was also customary to immolate a pig in addition to a bull and a ram in honor of the god of the sea Poseidon.

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